CHAPTER 23
“You live in a cabin? I just assumed it would be an apartment,” Frankie murmured as Charlie drove down a long private-access road leading to a rustic cabin with large glass windows and a wraparound deck. After dinner with Suzy, Charlie and Frankie had made the short fifteen-minute drive to his place.
“You never asked.”
Much like the cottage, Charlie’s cabin was nestled among a thick patch of woods and vegetation. Towering, majestic pine trees surrounded the property on three sides.
“I’d never know we were only a few minutes outside of town based on the location. It looks and feels like we’re back at King’s Summit.”
“That’s one of the main things that made me fall in love with the property. It’s a little bit like Nan’s place, but not as grand.”
She noticed next to the front door, there was a carved wooden statue of a grizzly bear standing upright and holding a pair of figure skates. Charlie must’ve gotten it from the same place Suzy got hers. It looked like it was made by the same company.
“We’re entering through the back door. It’s closer to the carport. I never use the front door.”
She wiped her feet on a mat as Charlie turned his key in the lock, and then he let them into the kitchen. Her eyes made a three-sixty over the room. Wooden cabinets were painted a forest green. There were high-end stainless-steel appliances and a medium-sized white marble island. A few fake flowering plants on the windowsill added a touch of color to the space.
How is Charlie able to keep his kitchen spotless and his office is a disaster?
Skirting around the island, they stepped into the main living area of the cabin. The wall opposite the kitchen was made from red bricks and held a black wood-burning stove. The top half of the remaining two walls were painted white, and the bottom half contained exposed wood.
The center of the room had an amber-brown couch and matching oversized chair with a red-and-black plaid blanket draped over it. She smiled as she noticed the mahogany coffee table was covered with stacks of mail, books, binders, and other assorted items. Her gaze traveled to the dining table and four chairs, which were also covered in piles of random objects. She could immediately tell it was Charlie’s place.
“I know you don’t have a TV, but what do you do for entertainment when you’re not at the rink?”
“Woodworking.” Twin patches of pink colored his cheeks. “My grandad taught me when I was a boy.”
She absorbed the information. “Do you make birdhouses? Or are you more advanced and you make things like furniture?”
He let out a raspy laugh. “Neither. I carve figurines.”
“Can I see?”
He shoved his hands into his pocket. “I don’t know. They aren’t very good.”
“Anything you made is going to be ten times better than anything I ever could’ve come up with. I can draw, I can paint, but I have no talent for anything that’s three-dimensional.”
“Follow me.”
They entered one of the three darkened rooms off the living room. He clicked the light on, illuminating a set of tools hanging from a pegboard attached to the wall. Stacked neatly on top of a workbench were more bear figurines. There was one that was sleeping, and another bear was sticking its paw into a jar of honey.
Picking up the closest carving, a rabbit, she ran her fingers along the ridges of its ears, across its back, and to the tip of its fluffy tail. It was so lifelike. “These are amazing!” Her eyes flickered to Charlie, who leaned against the door frame. “You madeallof these?”
He nodded.
“And the bear with the ice skates? And at Suzy’s?”
He bobbed his head up and down again. “When I was recovering from the accident, woodworking was one of the few activities I could manage. I had a lot of time to perfect my skills. I started with small projects like my kitchen cabinets and worked my way up to things that were more intricate, like figurines.”
I bet if I asked him, I’d find out that every wood element in this cabin came from his own two hands.Just as she felt as if she knew who Charlie was, he managed to surprise her.
“Do you do commissions?”
“My work isn’t for sale. It’s all for fun.”
Her face fell. She carefully replaced the rabbit on the worktop. “Oh.”
He stepped in closer to her. “But for the woman I’m dating, I justmightbe willing to create something special.”
